Forbes Phoenix

Celebrating International Day Of People With Disability

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CELEBRATING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Currajong Disability Service participants Shane Spicer, Blake Huntley, Jye Jeffrey and Jarrad Simpson with Pete Rawson leading from the front. Usually December 3 each year, the 2021 version was postponed due to the pandemic. INSET: Deputy Mayor Chris Roylance, Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM and new FSC councillor Aidan Clarke were also in attendance.

Normally held on December 3 each year, the popular and important International Day of People with Disability Pool Party (IDPwD) celebration was held at Forbes Olympic Pool on Monday February 7th. The COVID pandemic had scuppered any chance of an event late last year meaning that for the second year in a row the special day was held in February.

Participants from a number of NDIS providers from around the region attended the popular Forbes Shire Council sponsored event with free entry to the pool, a BBQ lunch, games, music, workshops and a chance to catch up and socialise for many who haven’t been able to connect in-person for nearly two years.

The day also consisted of info for carers and families from a raft of providers.

“It has been great seeing everyone again,”

said Tim Wheeler from Currajong Disability Services.

“I have always liked this day – we all have fun,” he said.

Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM was also on hand to present certificates to participants after the popular sing and dance workshop. Mayor Miller acknowledged the important contributions of people with disabilities in the Forbes community.

IDPwD (December 3) is a United Nations sanctioned day that is celebrated internationally. It aims to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities and celebrate their achievements and contributions.

The Australian Government has been supporting IDPwD since 1996 and provides funds to promote and raise awareness of the day around Australia.

Snippets…

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COMPLETE: NSW Government funding has seen the Forbes Town Hall refurbishment completed and already put to good use during the Australia Day celebrations. It is available for events and functions via Forbes Shire Council. Photo courtesy of FSC.

Town Hall Renos Complete

After receiving funding from the NSW State Government to complete works at the Harold Street premises, the Forbes Town Hall refurbishment is complete and looks AMAZING! In an online statement FSC Mayor Phyllis Miller said she “couldn’t wait to utilise it and welcome everyone back!” Already the newly renovated space has been put to good use during the Australia Day celebrations most notably the Citizen of the Year Gala Dinner.

Goldridge Estate Update

Forbes Shire Council are happy to report that despite the wet weather, the water and sewer for Stages 1 and 2 of the subdivision works are now complete! The site has been a hive of activity with stormwater works to be carried out as part of the next phase of the process.

Free RSA Courses To Help Ease Big Staff Shortages

The NSW Government will fund 5,000 fee-free Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) courses to support new workers to enter the hospitality industry and help ease the staffing pressure on licensed hospitality venues. The hospitality sector makes up over 2 percent of total gross value added to the NSW economy and supports more than 300,000 jobs.

NSW Government Treasurer Matt Kean said the courses were vital to address shortages. The RSA courses will be available through TAFE NSW and private providers who already offer government subsidised programs.

Don’t Forget The Rotary Ipomoea Markets Saturday Feb 12

The RIM start at 8:30am-12noon at idyllic Lions Park. Plenty of food and a great space for the whole family! More info on their Facebook page or call 0427 201 445.

Have You Heard Vera Blue’s New Cover?

Our own Vera Blue (Celia Pavey) covered The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber hit ‘Stay’ for Triple J’s Like A Version last week and nailed it! If you haven’t heard it, track it down and give it a listen!

Water And Sewer Team Hard At It

With all the recent floods, any changes to water should be reported to Forbes Shire Council on 02 6852 2300 during business hours or 1300 978 633 after hours and a team will be sent over immediately. Forbes Shire Council is responsible for a huge amount of infrastructure of around 250km of buried pipes, 2 treatment plants, 5 reservoirs and 23 pump stations.

WATER WORK: Members of Forbes Shire Council Water and Sewer team hard at it. The team is responsible for a large amount of infrastructure and relies on the public to also keep an eye on our water and waterways. Photo courtesy of FSC.

VanFest Is Back!

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BACK LIKE VINYL: Forbes and Central West’s premier music festival VanFest is back in December 2022. Follow them on Facebook to keep updated with all the latest info!

Like all other festivals and events, Forbes VanFest has had its fair share of challenges. From its first edition that was marred by lightning and hail five years ago through to the most recent installment which was called off after the Friday night session – the event has had its share of disappointments.

Now the regional musical festival that includes the best of indie rock, pop, folk, house classics and local talent, is back, with organiser Matt Clifton gearing up for a December date after launching a new Facebook promotion last week.

Partnering up with national sponsors as well as local businesses, this festival is already shaping up to be the best on record.

With previous acts such as Birds of Tokyo, John Butler, local Vera Blue (Celia Pavey) Sheppard, Illy, Sticky Fingers, Angus and Julia Stone as well as many more to grace the stage at Forbes Showground over the years, punters should expect another spectacular line up of artists.

There’ll also be plenty of other forms of entertainment and amusements for festival goers as well.

Under COVID-safe measures, the Central West’s premier music fest will no doubt be one to mark on the calendar for 2022!

For more information, how to get involved or go in the draw to win a promo pack please go to the VanFest Facebook page for more!

See you there!

Mayoral Notes

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It is such an exciting time for our region and I want to thank the community for having trust in us to deliver all of this to you.

I had the joy of going to the International Day of People with Disability fun day at our pool this week. After having to postpone this event last year due to Covid we finally were able to come together and celebrate this very important day.

Have you taken part in the Housing Survey we are currently running? I urge you to if you can spare 5- 10 minutes. Council is putting together a Strategy to give us direction with the needs of housing in the area and we would like to get community feedback. Social housing is one of many housing factors Council will look at planning for in this strategy and we will continue to lobby State and Federal Governments to meet the estimated need for this in the Forbes Shire. Having a strong Housing Strategy in our back pocket when we lobby the politicians will be of immense benefit. Forbes is expecting significant growth in the next ten (10) years and we need to plan for the future to ensure we have the infrastructure and essential services to accommodate population growth – and that is best done by a considered and widely consulted strategy.

Head over to our Your Say page today: https://yoursay.forbes.nsw.gov.au/

Take care and God Bless.

Your Mayor,
Phyllis Miller

Ethics Volunteers Needed!

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Ethics classes will restart at Forbes North Primary School at the end of February and organisers are calling for more volunteers!

“We have De, our wonderful teacher of 7 years, ready to start, but we need more so that all stages in the school can be covered – we do not want any child who has their name down for Ethics to miss out, and we also want to give volunteers from the community the opportunity to share in what is a truly wonderful experience,” said co-ordinator Mary Hinchcliffe.

“Primary Ethics volunteers come from all backgrounds – parents, grandparents, friends and members of the local community,” she said.

“You don’t have to have any previous teaching experience. There is free online training provided and lots of ongoing support.”

The ethics curriculum is Department of Education-approved. The classes are for children of all faiths and none, designed to get children thinking deeply and communicating respectfully.

Ethics Coordinator, Mary Hinchcliffe, says that anyone interested in learning more about volunteering as an ethics teacher, can visit this site https://primaryethics.com.au/volunteer/ethics-teacher/ or contact Mary on forbesprimaryethics@gmail.com

 

Royce Rolls On Despite Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

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WALKING FOR ALZHEIMERS: Gooloogong Boy and Penrith Panthers legend, Royce Simmons is walking for Alzheimers after a recent diagnosis from his doctor. Simmons and supports will walk from Gooloogong on May 17 to BlueBet Stadium in Penrith on May 27 before the Panthers v Cowboys game. Photo courtesy of Penrith Panthers and NRL imagery.

Penrith Panthers’ favourite son Royce Simmons has revealed he has been diagnosed as suffering Alzheimer’s disease at age 61. Typical of the man known as ‘Simmo’, the footy legend wants to use news of his dilemma to enhance the lives of others rather than his own, with a fundraising walk from his hometown of Gooloogong to Penrith in May, coinciding with the Panthers’ home clash with North Queensland.

What matters most to Simmons is shining a light on the impact of the insidious disease, particularly on the loved ones of those who are diagnosed.

He wants to use his plight to bring dementia into the public consciousness and raise much-needed funds for important research into the disease.

And that’s why he and Liane, with the support of Panthers, Dementia Australia and other partners, have organised the inaugural Royce’s Big Walk fundraising event.

Simmons plans to walk almost 300 kilometres from his hometown of Gooloogong to the place in Penrith where his footy dreams were realised, now called BlueBet Stadium.

The walk will depart Gooloogong on Tuesday May 17 and Simmons will cross the finish line ahead of kick-off in the Panthers NRL game against the Cowboys on Friday May 27. The Panthers legend and several high-profile supporters (who will walk with him) will conduct fundraising initiatives and hold events to support junior rugby league along the route.

“I want to help raise money for research as a mark of respect for the medical people who have worked so hard to find a cure,” Royce said.

You can support one of rugby league’s favourite characters and toughest competitors by donating now to Royce’s Big Walk, with more details about the event to be confirmed over the coming weeks.

Courtesy of Neil Cadigan and Penrith Panthers

COVID-Safe Classrooms As School Returns For 2022

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READY TO ROLL-CALL: Forbes Public School Year 3 students Ella-Rose Wright and Ruby Lidster were excited to go back to school for 2022 and see all their friends! INSET: Forbes High School students also returned this week under a new COVID-safe timetable. Photo supplied.

Forbes students were welcomed back into classrooms with vaccinations, rapid antigen testing and mask wearing to play a key role in limiting the spread of the virus and keeping school communities safe. Some Forbes Public, North and Forbes High School students all started on Tuesday. Kindergarten starts next Monday February 7.

Premier Dominic Perottet said everyone has worked hard to ensure that every school is a safe environment for students, teachers and school staff.

“We have distributed 8.6 million rapid antigen test (RAT) kits to all schools and early childhood education centres so that educators are able to undertake surveillance testing for COVID-19 twice a week.”

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said she was thrilled to see students walk through school gates.

“The Department of Education has worked closely with NSW Health to make schools as safe as possible. It’s also encouraging to see that our students are increasingly getting vaccinated.”

In NSW, more than 78 per cent of children in the 12 to 15-year-old age group have been double-dosed while in the 5 to 11-year-old age group, more than 39 per cent of children have had their first dose.

Other COVID-safe measures include physical distancing, ventilation and mask wearing.

“With all these measures in place, we’re confident that students will be able to return to the activities they love while staying COVID-safe,” Ms Mitchell said.

More information on COVID-safe measures in schools is available at https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families.

Budget Boost For Before And After School Care

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Parents and carers of children enrolled in all primary schools in NSW will benefit from a new $155 million program for Before and After School Care (BASC) services to provide greater support and access to BASC services. The $500 voucher will assist families who use BASC services by covering the parent gap fee component of their session fees.

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said that both providers and users of BASC would benefit from this announcement. “These vouchers are all about providing affordable access to care for families,” Ms Mitchell said. “Every family with children at a NSW primary school is eligible for one voucher per child, which will provide each child with approximately 60 sessions of free BASC.”

Premier Dominic Perrottet said BASC services were more important than ever as families returned to work following the holidays.

“It’s been a challenging past couple of years for parents of school-aged children. Many have had to juggle the demands of supervising their kids’ education at home while working remotely, or even foregoing paid work,” Mr Perrottet said.

“These vouchers for before and after school care will help alleviate some of the financial pressures on NSW families and provide greater flexibility and more options for those who need to work.”

Snippets…

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REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN: To find out more about being a gap year participant or on-farm host, register your details here https://www.agcareerstart.com.au/home. Pic courtesy of Dwyer Contracting.

AgCAREERSTART Registrations Open

AgCAREERSTART is a structured gap year program that introduces young Australians to a career in agriculture. Over 12 months, you will be matched with an on-farm job, given training and development, and gain access to industry events and experiences with your AgCAREERSTART cohort. To find out more about being a gap year participant or on-farm host, register your details at www.agcareerstart.com.au/home

Headspace NSW Parent and Carer Sessions – Western NSW Local Health District

With the commencement of the 2022 school year, new sessions are starting in February for parents and carers to attend a free mental health education session hosted by the Headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation. The sessions aim to:
• Strengthen your understanding of mental health definitions.
• Enhance your conversational approach to mental health and well-being.
• Build skills and strategies to support young people, including transition to work and study.
• Build awareness of local, state and national supports available to young people.
• Increase your knowledge and understanding of the mental health challenges facing young people today.
• Introduce you to some of the skills and strategies to encourage and support help-seeking.

There are two online webinars being held across the Western NSW LHD on:
• 7th February: Helping my young person during COVID. Registration: https://bit.ly/3I6Plge
• 14th March: Helping my young person during COVID. Registration: https://bit.ly/3flbTh5

Rotary Ipomoea Markets Are Back

Rotary Ipomoea Markets are every second Saturday of the month at Lions Park and will return Saturday February 12th. Come along and enjoy the market atmosphere at Lions Park, beautiful shade, new playground equipment, great coffee, hot breakfast available from the Rotary Breaky Van, and over 20 stalls show-casing local produce, hand-made arts and crafts, new and repurposed goods and plants. Rotary Ipomoea members will have a stall and look forward to sharing Rotary project information. Please contact Rotary Ipomoea on Ph 0427 201445 or find us on Facebook.

Boss Skills Coming To Forbes

NSW Farmers and Prime Super are bringing “Boss Skills” to Forbes on February 8th from 10am. Join us for an informative session on your obligations as a farm business employer. You can attend in or online attendance available. Register via https://form.jotform.com/holleyt/boss-skills-registration-form

Forbes TAFE Update

The Forbes G.R.O.W (Getting Ready for Opportunities to Work) is a course that is a great opportunity for students 16-24 who have left school and/or are unemployed. The course is free, runs 5 days a week for four months and students receive nationally recognised training in a variety of areas from how to operate heavy equipment, construction, motor bikes, plant trees, chemicals, chainsaw, landscaping, welding, customer service, presentation skills and computers. This fantastic opportunity is limited to 12 students so register now! RTO 90003

NSW Women’s Rural Gathering Rego Open

Registrations and Preliminary Program are online via https://forbes2021nswruralwomensgathering.com/registration/

Don’t forget to book your accommodation. There are some fabulous speakers and entertainment lined up!

Inland Rail REF Approval Docs On Public Exhibition

Inland Rail are placing two Review of Environmental Factors (REF) approvals documents on public exhibition from 3 – 24 February 2022. One of these documents covers the Stockinbingal to Parkes project’s Horizontal Clearances, including works at Caragabal and Quandialla at and the other one is for Lachlan River Bridge in Forbes. For more information regarding the project head over to: https://inlandrail.artc.com.au/where-we-go/projects/stockinbingal-to-parkes/status/

Well Done Forbes SES

Last week a boat overturned in Forbes and NSW SES Forbes Unit assisted NSW Police with locating an overturned boat and its occupants on the Lachlan River. All persons and the boat were returned safely to dry land.

 

Forbes Businesses $20K In Give-Aways!

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Some $20,000 Why Leave Town dollars have been given away as part of the Forbes Business Chambers Find it in AMAZING Forbes promotion on December 24. $5,000 prize draw winners were Leanne Paringa, Molly Hanns and Tori Bull while Lynette Doyle won $1,500. $500 winners were – Phyllis Miller, Patrick Tulaga, Taylor Lennon, Jayden Scott, Renee Percival, Teigan Miles, Karen Banks, Brodie Hughes, Jane Mattiski, Sue Uphill, Annette Jones, Bev Green, Angela Paddison, Gaye Bailey, Joyce McKenzie and Heidi Andrews.

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